Franshion Properties (China) Limited, the Hong Kong-listed real estate arm under Sinochem Group, will invest 2 million yuan ($323,000) this year in the research and development of green technologies, according to the company's chief designer.

“We did a lot of research in green buildings last year and plan to increase our investment in this field to 2 million yuan this year,” Sun Guodong, chief designer of Franshion, told China Daily at the Tenth International Conference on Green and Energy-Efficient Buildings & New Technologies over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the company has signed a deal with China Academy of Building Research and Shanghai Architecture Science Institute to promote cooperation in the research of green buildings.

Developing green buildings has been a core strategy and competitiveness for Franshion.

The company just introduced Asia’s first platinum-certificated LEED school in Guangqu Jinmao Palace, a project along the capital’s eastern fourth ring road.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.

According to Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO of US Green Building Council, there are 35 LEED schools with platinum certification around the globe.